Puller tool



July 3, 1952 E. H. GRONLUND 3,041,713

FULLER TOOL Filed June 6, 1960 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 July 3, 1962 E. H. GRONLUND FULLER TOOL 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed June 6, 1960 Unire Stare This invention relates to a tool designed particularly for use with power boats and cruisers, andit is intended for the purpose of permitting a workman to readily remove the propeller or wheel from the propeller shaft of the boat or to remove the strut bearing or bushing from the Strut while the shaft is in place therein, or to replace the bushing within the strut while the shaft is therein.

After a period of usage, the propeller may seize upon the shaft, and also the bushing which mounts the propeller shaft within the shaft supporting strut may seize within the strut, and the removal thereof becomes diiiicult. My improved tool is designed for the purpose of facilitating such removal.

An object of the invention is the provision of such a tool which is simple, inexpensive, easily operated, and so constructed that it may be employed by a relatively unskilled workman for the purpose hereinabove set forth.

Another object is the provision of such a tool provided with attachments which permit it to be employed in connection with boats having propeller shafts of diiferent diameters.

A further object is the provision of a tool ofthe character described which is capable of being employed not only to remove the propeller from the shaft and the strut bushing from within the strut when the shaft is in place within the strut, but the tool is also operable to be employed to replace a bushing or the like within the strut while the shaft is in place therein.

Another object is the provision of a tool of the character described wherein the construction is such that even though the tool is a small hand tool very substantial pressure may be brought to bear upon a strut bushing to move the same into the strut bushing aperture while the shaft is in place therein.

A meritorious feature of the invention is that the tool comprises a pair of opposed arms having opposed working ends, and the working end of one arm may be disposed to embrace the shaft and abut the stationary strut within which the bushing is mounted, and the working end of the other arm may be disposed to embrace the shaft and to move thereover to exert a pressure against the end of the bushing to remove it from the strut.

Other objects, advantages, and meritorious features will more fully appear from the specification, claims, and accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a side elevation of my tool being applied in the removal of a strut bushing from the strut of a boat.

FIG. 2 is an end elevation looking at the left hand end of FIG. 1. Y

FIG. 3 is a horizontal sectional View taken on the line 3-3 of FIG. l.

FIG. 4 is a vertical sectional view taken on the line 4-4 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 5 is a vertical sectional view taken on the line 5-5 of FIG. 1. FIG. 6 is a horizontal sectional view taken on the line 6-6 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 7 is a fragmentary side elevation showing the replacement of a bushing upon a propeller shaft within the strut.

FIG. 8 is a cross Section through the shaft 8S and pusher sleeve 90 assembled as shown in FIG. 1, but illustrating a f spring clamp mounted thereon.

FIG. 9 shows an adapter capable of engaging the end of the propeller shaft in the removal of the propeller.

of each arm. Each arm is provided with bosses or spacing elements 18 surrounding the bolt holes through the arm. These bosses may be integral with the sections and abut each otherendwise between the sections. The bolts extending through the bosses hold the sections securely rigidly together in spaced-apart relationship. There are two bolts 20 adjacent to the upper end of each arm which extend through the two sections thereof and through bosses 22 formed on the two sections, securing the two sections together in spaced relationship as shown particularly in FIG. 2. f

There is a rod retainer 24 disposed between the two sections of each larm adjacent to its lower end, which rod retainer has opposed stub axles or shaft ends 26 projecting axially therefrom and journaled within the two sections of the arm. Each rod retainer 24 has a threaded aperture 30 extending diametrically therethrough. The opposed threaded ends of the rod 14 are threaded through these apertures. The opposed ends of the rod 14 are oppositely threaded as are the apertures 30-through the two rod retainers. The rod 14 is provided with a handle or crank 32 whereby it maybe rotated to move the lower ends of the arms toward or away from each other as hereinafter described.

The rod 12 which connects the upper ends of the arms 10 has its end 32 extending diametrically through and `coupled with rod retainer 34. This rod retainer is mounted between the two sections of the left-hand arm 10. This rod retainer 34 has opposed stub axles or shaft ends 36 formed thereon and journaled in the two sections of the arm 4for rockable rotation therein. This end 32 of the rod may be threaded into or otherwise connected with the -rod retainer.

|The opposite end of the rod 12 extends through a similar rod retainer 38, which rod retainer is journaled between the two sections of theright-'hand arm 10. This rod retainer 3S is provided with axially opposed stub axles or shaft ends 40 journaled in the two sections of the t right-hand arm for rockable rotatable movement therein. That portion of the rod 12 which is adapted to extend through the rod retainer 38 is not threaded therein, for although the rod is externally threaded the aperture through such rod retainer is not threaded but is oversize the rod, whereby the rod may be advanced freely therethrough. 4

The outer extension of that end of the rod which projects beyond the rod retainer 38 is also outwardly threaded beyond the arm 10 and a wing nut 42 is threaded thereupon. The retainer 38 has a sleeve extension 44 thereon which projects radially from the retainer over the rod and abuts the wing nut as shown in FIG. l. It is apparent that through adjustment of the wing nut 42 on the rod 1'2. and adjustment of the rod 14 rotatably within its rod retainers, the lower ends and upper ends of the arms may be moved toward or away from each other for expansion and/ or contraction of the Working ends of the arms 10 as designed. Itis also apparent that the rockable support of the rod retainers within the arms permits free functioning of the rods for adjustment.

such forked openings and throughcollets and collet ref tainers carried by the working ends of such arms when the `tool is applied over a propeller shaft. A n

The Working end of each arm is lprovided with a collet retainer which` is ring-shaped to receive therein a ringshaped collet. The collet retainer of the left-hand arm is identified as 50. It is an integral continuous ning-shaped collet retainer. It is provided with two diametrically opposed ears 52 `which are integral with the collet retainer Y and extend parallel Yto the axis thereof. Each ear terminates in a circular end portion or bearing 54'. The circular bearing portions 54 of the two ears are receivable within the generally circular open sockets or seats 56 formed in the upper ends of the two sections of `the arm for limited ,rockable movement ofthe ears within the sockets. This rockable movement permits limited swingable adjustment of the collet retainer 50 with respect to its supporting arm.

To hold the collet retainer against lateral displacement within the sockets of the arm sections, each socket por'- Vtion 56 of each section of the arm carries a locking ball 53 which is held by a spring 60 to seat within a groove 62 formed within an arcuate portion of the circumference of the circular bearing S4 of the ear 52 seated within the socket. Although FIG. 6 relates to the right-hand arm and its collet retainer differs from that of the left-hand arm, such FIG. 6 best shows t-he use of these springpressed balls. f

Collet retainer 50 carried by the left-hand arm cai"- riesa collet 64. This collet 64 is a continuous integral annular collet. It provided with a radially projecting bearing flange portion 66 which is shown in FIG. l as overhanging the end of the collet retainer 50.

The working end of the righbhand arm is provided with its own collet and collet retainer, and such differs in detail somewhat from the collet and collet retainer of the left-hand arm. The collet retainer '7d of the right-hand i arm is divided into-two semi-circular halves rather than being continuous as is collet retainer 50 of the left-hand arm. This collet retainer 70 carries a similarly divided collet 72. This is best shown in FIGS. l, 4, and 5.

Collet retainer 70 is provided with two ears 74. These ears are integral with the collet retainer and project axially therefrom parallel to the axis thereof. vEach ear 74 terminates in a circular end portion or bearing 76 which seats Within a socket '78 formed in the working end of each arm section of the rightahand arm. Each socket 78 is provided witha locking `ball 80 held outwardly by its spring 82 to seat within a `groove 84 formed in the circumference of the bearing end 76 of the ear 74 of the right-hand assembly.

The collet retainer 70 and the collet 72 which is carried thereby are each dividedvinto two semi-circular sections. This is in orderthat the same may be assembled over a propeller shaft 88 from which a wheel and/or a bushing or the like are to be removed, or upon which such are to be installed as hereinabove described. FIG. shows -that such collet retainer and collet may be assembled with the splits therethrough offset each other for the purpose of stability of the assembly.

` A bushing pusher 90 is provided in association with the collet assembly of the right-hand arm. Such is shown as interposed in FIG. l between the end of the bushing 96 to be removed from the strut and the collet 72. The

' bushing pusher 90 is itself divided into two halves in order to permit its assembly upon the shaft 88. In order to hold these two half sections together about the shaft when they are intially placed thereupon, a spring clip 92 may be employed as shown in FIG. 8. Such spring clip is easily receivable over the two halves of the cylindrical pusher and may be readily removed therefrom.

The normal construction of a power boat or cruiser is that a shaft bearing strut 94 depends below the after portion of the hull( The end portion of the propeller shaft which extends aft underneath the hull is supported 4 by this strut 94. The strut is provided with a bushing 96. The shaft extends through the bushing. The wheel is mounted upon the shaft aft of the strut. It is the propeller itself Vand particularly the strut bushing carried by the strut which this tool is designedY to remove. In FIG. l the strut 94 is sho-wn as provided with a bushing 96 encircling the shaft 88. In such gure the Atool is shown as mounted over the shaft S8 and the bushing 96 is shown as partially removed from the strut. The tool which is mounted over the shaft is shown as provided with the bushing pusher 90. The outer end of the bush# ing pusher is engaged with the end against the bushing 96. When it is desired to remove such a bushing from the supporting strut, the tool is assembled over the shaft in the postion shown in FIG. 1. In this position the propeller would have been removed from the outer end of the shaft. TheV collet retainer and collet 64 would have been inserted over the outer end of the shaft up to a position adjacent to the strut. Due to the outer end of the shaft being free, insertion of these continuous elements, collet 64 and collet retainer 50, is readily feasible.

The collet retainer and collet assembly for the' righthand arm can bereadily assembled upon the shaft, be cause such are semi-circular elements as hereinabove deA scribed. The same isv true of the bushing pusher 90. The bifurcated arms 10 can of course be readily inserted over the shaft as shown and the bearing ends of the ears are received within the sockets of the Working ends of the arm as heretofore described. I

The wing nut 42 on the rod 12 may be tightened down to bring the bushing pusher 90 against the right-hand end of the bushing and the collet 50against the left-hand end of the strut 94 as shown in FIG. l.V The rod 14 has also been rotated and through the provided leverage,- pressure is exerted against the bushing to displace 4the same to the left. It is apparent that the swingable movement of the arms produced by rotation of the shaft 14 may be taken up by adjustment of the wing nut on the shaft 12 so that in successive steps the tool may be acf tuated to move the bushing end-wise over the shaft 88 and out of its seat within the strut.

In FIG. -7 the tool is shown as being used to install a strut bushing upon a shaft. The strut is indicated at 94 and the shaft as 88 and the bushing is 96, all as hereinabove slet forth. The collet 72 which is the split collet mounted within the split collet retainer 70 is shown as abutting the right-hand end of the strut. The bushing 96 is being urged to the right by the collet 64 which is carried by the collet retainer 50. The operation of the armsy Y to seat Within a recess in the end of the shaft to hold the adapter in place against the shaft whereby the collet 72 may be urged against the propeller to push the same over the shaft.

What I claim is: v p 1. A tool for removing a fitting from the propeller shaft of a boat comprising, in combination, a pair of Y opposed substantially complementary arms having two opposed bifurcated working ends, one for each arm, said working ends disposed normally in the same horizontal plane, the bifurcated working end of each arm provided with a ring-shaped collet retainer pivotly supported from the working end of the arm for limited relative swingable movement with respect to and substantially within the linear plane of the arm, each collet retainer provided with a ring-shaped collet mounted within the retainer with the opening through each collet aligned with the opening through its retainer and aligned with the opening between the two forks of its arm, the ring-shaped tending to urge the working end of one arm toward the j opposed working end of the opposite arm while the collets of the two arms encircle a straight shaft extending through said collets and through the bifurcated working ends of the two arms.

2. A tool for removing a litting from the propeller shaft of a boat comprising, in combination, two opposed substantially complementary arms, said two arms having two opposed bifurcated working ends disposed normally in the same horizontal plane in opposition to each other, the blfurcated working end of each arm provided with a ringshaped collet retainer pivotly supported from the working end of the arm for limited swingable movement with respect to and within the linear plane of the arm, each collet retainer pivotly supported upon the working end of its arm oifset the linear plane of the arm towards the opposite arm, each collet retainer provided with a ringsnaped collet mounted within the retainer with the opening through each collet aligned with the opening through its retainer and aligned with the opening between the two forks of its arm, each collet having an annular shank portion removably seated within its collet retainer and having a radially projecting annular flange portion at its inner end overhanging the inner end of the collet retainer and opposed to the radially projecting annular flange portion of the collet of the opposite arm, the ring-shaped collet and ring-shaped collet retainer of one of said arms being split to permit lateral assembly over a shaft, adjustable mechanism coupling said arms together at points spaced from their two opposed working ends, said mechanism operable to exert a pressure tending to urge the working end of one arm toward the opposed Working end of the opposite arm displacing said arms relatively angularly while the collets of the two arms retain their opposed aligned relationship encircling a straight shaft extending through said collets and through the bifurcated working ends of the two arms.

3. A tool for removing a fitting from the propeller shaft of a boat comprising, in combination, two opposed substantially complementary arms having two opposed bifurcated working ends disposed normally in the same horizontal plane, the bifurcated working end of each arm provided with a ring-shaped collet retainer pivotly supported upon the working end of the arm for limited relative swingable movement With respect to and within the linear plane of the arm, each collet retainer pivotly supported upon its arm offset inwardly of the arm and toward the opposite arm, each collet retainer provided with a ringshaped collet mounted within the retainer with the opening through each collet aligned with the opening through its retainer and aligned with the opening between the two forks of the bifurcated working end of its arm, each collet having an annular shank portion removably seated within its collet retainer and having a radially projecting annular flange portion at its inner end overhanging the inner end of the collet retainer and opposed to the radially projecting annular tlange portion of the collet of the opposite arm, the collet and collet retainer of one of said arms being in the form of split rings to permit lateral assembly over a shaft, means pivotly articulated with each arm adjustably connecting the two arms together spaced from their working ends, and adjustable mechanism connecting the two ends of the two arms remote from their working ends together to swing said ends of the two arms relatively toward and away from each other, said adjustable mechanism pivotly connected with each arm to permit limited relative swingable movement of the arms within the plane of the arms and adjustable mechanism.

, 4. A tool for removing a fitting from the propeller shaft of a boat comprising, in combination, a pair of opposed substantially complementary arms having two opposed bifurcated working ends, one for each arm, said working ends of the ltwo arms disposed normally in the same horizontal plane, and within the common linear plane of the two arms, each arm provided at its working end with a ring-shaped collet retainer pivotly supported upon the two forks of the bifurcated working end of the arm for limited relative swingable movement with respect to and substantially within the linear plane of the arm, each collet retainer provided with a ring-shaped collet mounted within the retainer with the opening through each collet aligned with the opening through its retainer and aligned with the opening Ibetween the two forks of its arm, the ring-shaped collet and the ring-shaped collet retainer of one of said arms eaci being split rings to permit lateral assembly over a shaft, adjustable mechanism connecting said arms together at points spaced from their two working ends, said adjustable mechanism operable to exert a pressure tending to urge the working end of one arm toward the opposed working end of the opposite arm while the collets of the two arms encircle a straight shaft extending through said collets and through the bifurcated Working ends of the two arms, the two forks of the bifurcated working end of each arm provided with complementary horizontally aligned sockets, said sockets of the two forks of one arm confronting the sockets of the two forks of the opposite arm, the collet retainer of each arm provided with two opposed horizontally aligned ears extending parallel to the axis of the ring-shaped collet retainer, said two ears of each retainer each terminating in a circular end bearing, said two end bearings of the two ears of each collet retainer received within the two sockets of the two forks of the working end of the arm provided with said collet retainer pivotly supporting the retainer projecting toward the opposite arm and for relative swingable movement with respect to its arm and within the common linear plane of theftwo arms, and means associated with each socket and with the circular end bearing of the ear received within said socket automatically operable to releasably support the retainer ata determined adjusted position with respect to the arm.

References Cited in the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 410,303 Waterhouse Sept. 3, 1889 1,561,359 Schleicher Nov. 10,1925 1,716,718 Castagna June ll, 1929 2,210,993 Weatherhead Aug. 13, 1940 2,575,602 Stillwagon Nov. 20, 1951 OTHER REFERENCES American Machinist, June 29, 1916, page 1-109. 

